Video by: Ryan Chichester and Dylan Fearon
Article by: Chris Dacey
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Super Bowl Sunday did not go so ‘super’ for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team.
After a tough first half for Quinnipiac, it was clawing its way back into the game making Rider sweat a little bit. However, Rider had enough of that as the Broncs picked up the defense in the last seven minutes to defeat the Bobcats 74-59.
“We had our work cut out for us in this game,” head coach Baker Dunleavy said. “In the second half we battled back but to beat a team like that and to be in it with a team like that you gotta bring your A-game.”
With the second straight loss for the Bobcats, they fall to 6-6 in MAAC play. Both losses come to teams that are above Quinnipiac in the standings.
Fatigue could have been a factor on Sunday due to the double overtime game that Quinnipiac played at Iona on Friday night.
“It’s obviously tough,” Jacob Rigoni said. “Not the greatest situation to be in but we felt confident going into the game that we recover well and we were prepared to go into battle.”
Andrew Robinson was also not available for both of the two games to to a foot/leg injury. Robinson has been a great “three and D” player off the bench for Quinnipiac and played well as of late including a 14-point game against in-state rival Fairfield.
.@QU_MBB coming out to warm up and Andrew Robinson is still in a boot with sweats on. Looks like a no go for him today #MAACHoops
— Chris Dacey (@ChrisDacey_) February 4, 2018
“Just day-to-day. I would expect he’ll be good for the trip,” Dunleavy said on Robinson. “I can’t say for sure but no structural damage just swollen.”
But even if Quinnipiac had Robinson it might not have made a difference. The Bobcats let up 38 points in the paint and turned the ball over 20 times allowing Rider to score 26 points off those turnovers.
“Just the physicality and the pressure they put on us in both games, I felt was just really not strong with our decision making with the ball,” Dunleavy said.
Cam Young continued his dominant MAAC play scoring 18-points off 6-of-13 shooting. Jacob Rigoni had 12 points of his own.
Depth was also an issue today with Robinson out and when Quinnipiac only had a rotation of seven and Rider had a rotation of 11.
“Depth is always something that helps especially when your playing a lot of close games in terms of the schedule but more so than Rider’s depth is the level of talent,” Dunleavy said.
Dunleavy has already mentioned that his team is in the midst of the toughest part of the schedule for Quinnipiac, and it does not get any easier with two road games coming up against Niagara and Canisius.
With the loss the Bobcats move to 6-6 in MAAC play. As of Sunday, the Bobcats are tied with Manhattan for fifth place in the conference.
After the two games in upstate New York, the Bobcats will play Manhattan in Hamden.
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